The Hunted Crew
by sjd0307
Summary: Drifter has had many crews that he has run with in the past. This story tells the tale of how one of them met their fate through greed, doubt, and the threat of being hunted by one of their own. (This takes place weeks before our character was reborn.)


The Forgotten Crew

A Short-film Script set in the Destiny Universe

When the Darkness first hit the solar system, the Traveler sacrificed everything to stop it. In its dying breath, the Traveler created the ghosts. These ghosts were made to find mighty warriors from a time long forgotten and rise them from the dead to use the light as a weapon. Most of these risen were praised as protectors of humanity, Guardians. But not all the risen were as noble as the Guardians.

(scene opens on a hunter walking through the jungles of Venus. He is broadcasting to the Vanguard channel.)

Viper: "This is Viper 1 to Vanguard, I've got the papers from Ishtar. Who the hell was scouting that place?" (pause) "Well she was wrong. There was heavy fallen resistance."

(he turns the corner to find Drifter leaning against his ship, playing with his coin. Drifter looks at him and smiles. Viper looks at him and then looks all around him for others.)

Viper: "Copy that, heading back to tower now." (he hangs up on the call.)

Drifter: "Hey there friend!"

Viper: "If you're looking to rob a new guardian for supplies, you better start running. I don't take kindly to strangers."

Drifter: (chuckles) "Don't worry kid. I'm not gonna rob you. I just wanna talk."

Viper: "And who exactly am I talking to?"

Drifter: "I've got a lot of names kid. You can call me Drifter. So, what's a fancy Vanguard agent like you doing out on the Ishtar coast?"

Viper: "That's classified."

Drifter: (Chuckles softly) "Ok pal. Well if you're not in a hurry, you think that you could help a brother out?"

(Drifter flips his coin again and the shot switches to a shadow like figure hiding in a bush cocking a gun.)

Drifter: "You see, I'm looking for certain hunter that's been mouthing off to the Vanguard about some of my buddies."

(rattling in two of the trees in the forest. Viper starts to notice.)

Viper: (whispering to ghost) "Beam a recovery beacon!"

Ghost: "I can't! Something is jamming our comms!"

Viper: (to drifter) "And what are you gonna do about him?"

Drifter: "The same thing I do with all rats." (pause) "Break necks."

(Viper aims his pulse rifle at Drifter, but as he fires, a sniper shot knocks the gun from his hands. A small skirmish begins where the other five crew members of Drifter's gang all show off their unique abilities. Eventually, Viper's ghost is shot, sending a shockwave of light as he falls to the ground. Drifter walks towards him as he tries to raise his pistol but is then kicked in the chest releasing his weapon. Drifter picks up his pistol and examines it for a moment.)

Viper: (coughing) "You fucking freaks. Who do you think you are?"

Drifter: (still examining pistol) "Nice piece. You put up a good fight kid, but not everyone is gonna play fair. There's a reason I do what I do. And I'm not gonna stop until I get what I need from this god forsaken system." (he aims the gun at Viper) "We all gotta make sacrifices, now don't we?"

Viper: "Not for you."

Drifter: "Doesn't seem like you have a choice."

Viper: "You're going to pay for this."

Drifter: "Maybe. We'll just have to see,"

(A gunshot echoes and the title card shows. A flyby shot of the ship introduces the following scene. Sliver is arguing with the other crew members in the cabin of the ship. Brass and Pulse are training in the practice room while Nebula Jackal and Sliver are watching and talking.)

Sliver: "It was wrong for us to kill that man."

Nebula: "Well, a job's a job."

Sliver: "Why do we always take jobs that kill innocents?"

Jackal: "No one that we kill is completely innocent. He had a bounty for a reason."

Sliver: "He was right."

Nebula: "About what exactly?"

Sliver: "We are freaks."

Jackal: "He didn't know what he was saying. People tend to beg for pity when faced with death, in hopes of mercy."

Nebula: "Look, why don't we go get a drink or two at Spider's bar? Our buyer told us to meet her there anyways. It'll get your mind off it for a while."

Sliver: "Yeah, yeah okay. That sounds good."

Nebula: "Hey, Jackal. Who do you thinks gonna win? I'll bet 500 glimmer on Brass."

Jackal: "Deal."

(Drifter enters)

Drifter: "We're coming up on the rally point. It's Spider's bar. She sent an encrypted message in sword logic or something and said to say it to the bar tender. Jackal, get on it."

Jackal: (sighs) "Fine."

Drifter: "And a word of advice to all of you. This ain't your average underground bar. Spider lets anyone in that can cough up enough cash, which means there might be people in there that want us dead. So, keep an eye out. Conceal your weapons. We don't want any trouble in there, it's too risky."

Jackal: "I got the code."

Nebula: "What is it?"

Jackal: "Trust in Yor."

Sliver: "Yikes. As if it wasn't sketchy enough."

(Brass wins the fight in the background by using his fist of havoc to cave Pulse's skull in. His ghost laughs.)

Jackal: "My god can he pack a punch."

Nebula: "Give it up."

(Jackal hands him the glimmer as they touch down on dock.)

Drifter: "Gentlemen, welcome to the Tangled Shore."

(scene ends with the ship doors opening and seeing the massive amounts of fallen roaming around. There are tents lining the shore with dregs, vandals and captains alike. All of them in perfect harmony with one another. The bar is just up ahead.)

Brass: "I've never seen so many fallen in one spot. You sure they won't kill us?"

Drifter: "Hell no. They won't do jack shit unless you pay em. Had a dreg on my crew once that knew a couple of these guys."

Nebula: "Keep an eye out and stay focused. I don't want to be here for a second longer than we have to."

Pulse: "Jesus could you loosen up? The reason me and Brass even took this deal is because of the constant threat of the unknown."

Nebula: "There's a reason I've stayed alive all this time brawn for brains."

(They enter the bar and there is fallen everywhere. Most of them are gambling for stolen Awoken tech, but some are just at the bar enjoying the food and drink. There are a couple of Awoken too, and three other guardians. Two of the guardians are gambling with some fallen and an Awoken corsair. One of them is at the bar, drinking.)

Drifter: "Alright people, help yourselves to whatever you want. I'll be arranging the deal with our buyer. Don't try to come in, they're just gonna think you're a spy. Is that clear?"

Pulse: "Crystal."

(Drifter heads to the bar security as Pulse and Brass head to the gambling table. Sliver and Jackal head to the bar and Nebula sneaks out of the diner without anyone noticing, stealing a bottle of liquor on her way out.)

Pulse: "Alright Brass, stick with me okay? We're gonna win big tonight."

Brass: "Let's go to the table with those corsairs. I like the way that one's looking at me."

Pulse: "Damn. They got some nice pistols too. I bet I could get them to put those on the table."

(They walk over to the table)

Brass: "Evening ladies."

Nina: "Hello."

Verla: "You wanna play? The buy in is 50 glimmer."

Brass: "Yeah I'll buy in." (hands the dealer 50 glimmer) "I'm Brass, and this is my friend Pulse."

Nina: "The names Nina."

Verla: "Verla."

Brass: "Wow, those are really beautiful names."

Verla: "Wish I could say the same about you two."

Pulse: (also hands dealer 50 glimmer) "Pardon me for asking, but aren't you supposed to be guarding some relic or something?"

Verla: "Aren't you supposed to be guarding a giant ball in the sky?"

Pulse: "Hey, you're a real prick. What's your deal?"

Verla: "I don't trust guardians. Running through the system without a care in the world as long as you have your little light on your shoulder."

Nina: "We occasionally come here to party. Standing in the same place for hours at a time can get boring, but it pays well. So, we come here to blow off a bit of the extra cash. What brings you two to the Tangled Shore?"

Brass: "We're mercenaries. Just finished up a bounty."

Nina: "Oh really? Who's your hit?"

Pulse: "That's classified."

Nina: "Are they here?"

Pulse: "They're dead. Of course they aren't here."

Nina: "Wow. You and Verla would really get along."

Verla: "Excuse me?"

Pulse: "I am not anything like little miss perfect over here okay? Ask stupid questions and you'll get stupid answers."

Verla: "You can't be serious."

(Dealer chants something in Eliksni and passes the pile of chips to brass)

Pulse: "Nice going Brass."

Brass: "Well, you gotta bet big to win big."

Verla: "Oh please. That was just luck."

Pulse: "As if you know anything about gambling."

Verla: "Okay asshole. I'll take your advice then. What do you reckon I put on the table?"

Pulse: (He points to her weapon) "The pistol."

Nina: "I don't think that's a good idea."

Verla: "And what's in it for me?"

(Pulse pulls out a copy of the telesto)

Pulse: "Do you know what this is?"

Nina: "Uh, Verla?"

Verla: "That rifle does not belong to you."

Pulse: "Oh it does. I got it from a pretty little corsair, just like you. She shot first. Too bad her aim wasn't as deadly as her talk. It could be yours too, if you really do know how to gamble."

Nina: "Verla. They aren't worth it. Let's get out- "

Verla: "Deal."

(She throws her sidearm into the betting pile. Pulse does the same with his fusion rifle. The dealer shuffles the deck and gives everyone a stack of 7. He chants something in Eliksni. Nina puts her cards on the table and Brass laughs. Another foreign chant rises from the dealer. Verla looks at her cards and begins to look even more angry.)

Pulse: "What's wrong sugar? Having trouble?"

(The dealer repeats himself and she puts her cards on the table.)

Verla: "Take your damn pistol." (She storms off)

(The dealer speaks again. Brass puts his cards down.)

Pulse: "I guess it's just dumb luck."

(He puts his cards on the table and the dealer passes him the betting pile. Transition to Sliver and Jackal at the bar)

Sliver: "Where did Nebula go? She was gonna buy me a drink."

(Jackal says nothing. He is playing with a green crystal and just staring at it.)

Sliver: "Hey Jackal!"

Jackal: "What do you want."

Sliver: "I've been wondering for a while now. Why did Drifter hire you? I've almost never heard you talk, and you usually don't fight."

Jackal: (chuckles) "Do you remember what he said earlier about 'the reason' he takes bounties around the system?"

Sliver: "Yeah."

Jackal: (leans in closer to Sliver) "What do you think that is?"

Sliver: "I always just assumed it was for the money."

Jackal: "I knew him for a while. He was one of my first friends after I was first risen. I don't exactly know how old he is, but I was around when the city was nothing but a collection of settlements. We've seen a lot in our long lives. Friends murdered, villages destroyed, good people turned mad. It was traumatizing. We had seen the carnage that people were capable of, and we wanted to stop it. But we disagreed on how. I haven't seen him in a long time, but from what he's told me, he's looking for a weapon that can end the constant warfare between Guardians. Recently, he had heard the legends of Dredgen Yor, and decided to seek out his followers. See if there's a way that Hive magic can be mixed with human weaponry. I happen to be an expert in that field"

Sliver: "That's insane."

Jackal: (continues to stare at and examine the shard) "It's smart."

Sliver: (to bar tender) "Could I get another round of misty moonlights please?" (to Jackal) "Do you want anything?"

Jackal: "Anything that doesn't taste like shit."

Sliver: (to bar tender) "And I'll also get two cherry vodka shots."

(Transition to Drifter in the back of the bar with a young Dredgen. Drifter empties a sack on to a table. Out falls the fragments and scattered parts of Viper's ghost.)

Dredgen: "Well done Drifter. I didn't expect for you to come back so quickly."

Drifter: "I don't like to keep my clients waiting. So, where's my payment?"

Dredgen: "Not yet my friend. There are, terms to discuss."

Drifter: "Are you trying to play me young lady?"

Dredgen: (laughs) "Oh no sir. You have been very useful to me. I just wanted to make another offer."

(Drifter slowly steadies his hand over his pistol.)

Drifter: "And what would that be?"

Dredgen: "Deep in the hellmouth on the moon, there is a Hive tomb. It is said that these crystals contain the souls of dead Hive warriors. You could accept your payment now and walk away. Or, you could bring me one of those crystals, and triple your original reward. This offer is final. Do you accept?"

(Drifter relaxes his hand.)

Drifter: (chuckles) "That is the shit I'm talking about. I'll take it."

(Drifter exits the hidden room and sees Jackal, Sliver, Pulse, and Brass at the bar, all very drunk.)

Drifter: "Where's Nebula?"

Sliver:(slurring his words) "That cheat was supposed to buy me a drink and she bailed!"

Drifter: "Alright then, let's get back to the ship. She's probably just paranoid, I don't blame her."

(They exit the bar, Drifter carrying Sliver over his shoulder. As they exit, the other Guardian at the bar turns to look at them. He tips the bartender and walks into the hidden room, as the camera pans in on his golden hand cannon, "Last Word". Once inside the ship, they find Nebula in the training ring. She sees the rest of the crew enter and she exits the training ring. Pulse, Jackal, and Brass go to their rooms while Drifter lies Sliver on a couch and goes to pilot the ship. Nebula goes up to Sliver.)

Nebula: "You're a mess."

Sliver: "You're a con-artist."

Nebula: "We're all con-artists here."

Sliver: "You were supposed to buy me a drink."

Nebula: "I did." (pulls out a glass bottle of green apple moonshine.)

Sliver: "Gimme that!" (reaches for the bottle)

Nebula: "You're already hammered Sliver. Get your shit together first, this was expensive. I want you to use it for a special occasion."

Sliver: "Noted, now give it."

Nebula: "You promise?"

Sliver: "Fine."

(Nebula hands him the bottle as Drifter comes back into the room.)

Drifter: "You kids better get some rest. We got a big mission tomorrow."

Nebula: "Where we heading?"

Drifter: "It's a surprise."

Nebula: "I don't like surprises you know."

Drifter: "Yeah well you can't spell surprise without prize."

Nebula: "But prize is spelled- "

Drifter: "It's a good saying, don't ruin it. I'm gonna go test out this new pistol."

Nebula: (mumbling) "What a douchebag." (to Sliver) "I'll see you in the morning. You want me to bring you back to your room?"

(Sliver's ghost pops up)

Sliver's Ghost: "I think he's asleep. You know he's just going to drink that whole bottle as soon as he wakes up right?"

Nebula: "I know, I just want him to feel guilty about it."

Sliver's Ghost: "That's smart."

Nebula: "Hey I've been talking to my ghost about this and, uh- "

Sliver's Ghost: "Why Sliver is an alcoholic?"

Nebula: "Not just that, but if you have the power to heal and even revive him, couldn't you sober him up whenever you want?"

Sliver's Ghost: "I can, but he hates it. He drinks when he gets sad, which has been a lot recently. Keeps on thinking about his old friends."

Nebula: "I'm afraid to ask but, what happened to them?"

Sliver's Ghost: "Have you ever heard of the great disaster?"

Nebula: "Yeah, the Vanguard's attempt to take back the moon. Thousands of Guardians died fighting the Hive. It was a shit plan that was poorly led and thought through and as a result, nothing was accomplished."

Sliver's Ghost: "We were there. His friend, Sapphire, gave her life to save him. Since then he's never been the same. I think he loved her."

Nebula: "Yikes. That's exactly why I don't mix emotions with work."

Sliver's Ghost: "Yeah. It's hectic."

Nebula: "Yeah. I'm gonna head to my room. You sure he's okay sleeping there?"

Sliver's Ghost: "I think he's dead. Whatever, I'll wake him up when we get there."

Nebula: (chuckles) "Okay buddy. Goodnight."

Sliver's Ghost: "Goodnight Nebula."

(Transition to the next scene. The doors of the ship open and out walks the 6 crew members. They are on the moon near the entrance to the hellmouth. Once Sliver walks out, he is immediately suspicious.)

Sliver: "Oh no."

Brass: "What's wrong?"

Sliver: (Talking to Drifter) "Who is our buyer."

Drifter: "That's classified."

(Sliver draws his hand cannon and points it at Drifter. Everyone except for Drifter draws their weapons on Sliver. Drifter holds his hand up to signal not to fire.)

Sliver: "Who is our buyer! The truth!"

Jackal: "Drop it kid!"

Nebula: "Sliver calm down!"

Sliver: (to Drifter) "You don't know what your messing with!"

Drifter: "And what makes you say that?"

Sliver: "WHO IS OUR BUYER?!"

Drifter: (sighs) "Drop the gun and I'll tell you."

(Sliver looks around at everyone else in the crew. He sees Nebula whisper "please" to him and after a long pause, he lowers his weapon. Everyone else in the group slowly follows.)

Drifter: "I don't know her name. I don't know her face. But I do know one thing. She is a Dredgen."

(Nebula, Brass, and Pulse are shocked. Jackal is intrigued and Sliver is fuming with anger.)

Jackal: "Is this true?"

Drifter: "Yes. She wants us to get a Hive soul crystal from the Hellmouth. She said she'd pay us triple the bounty of Viper. But like all things, the bigger the price the bigger the danger."

Brass: "So if she is a Dredgen, is there a chance 'he' could be hunting us?"

(no one says anything.)

Drifter: "I told you all that working for me would put a target on your backs. Correct me if I'm wrong, but did I not say to each and every one of you that this isn't your average mercenary group? If you feel like leaving, go. I won't stop you. But you'll stand a much bigger chance against that son of a bitch Shin Malphur if we stand together. So, who's coming with me?"

(Drifter draw's his rifle and walks into the hellmouth. First, Jackal loads his rifle and follows him. Then, Brass and Pulse draw their weapons and follow. Nebula loads her sniper rifle and starts to follow when Sliver grabs her shoulder.)

Sliver: "Please, don't do this. We are on the wrong side. This is proof. We can still change."

Nebula: "There is no wrong side Sliver. Besides, do you think that you'd be able to convince Shin that you're actually a force of good?"

Sliver: "I'd rather die a hero than live as a villain."

Nebula: "Well, good luck."

(She walks towards the rest of the crew. After a brief moment, Sliver finally joins her.)

Drifter: "Everyone coming? Good. Jackal, where would we find these soul crystals?"

Jackal: "They can be found in the deeper parts of the tunnels. There's plenty down there, but it can be hard to find a way out. It's like a deep dark labyrinth. It's also deep enough to jam comms. Won't be able to use a distress signal down there."

Drifter: "Turn on your flashlights and mount them on your weapon. Ghosts stay hidden. Don't let anything sneak up on you. Jackal, do you know how to open- "

(The locks on the gates disappear into ash one by one. The noise startles the crew, they ready their weapons. After a brief pause, the gates open. A wind blows by as the doors turn. Jackal hears something.)

Jackal: "Did anyone else hear that?"

Pulse: "Hear what?"

Drifter: "Move in formation. I'll lead with Jackal. Follow me and watch your backs."

(They walk through the tunnels, guns drawn for about 30 minutes. Eventually, they reach a room. There are no Hive, but it is clearly a ritual room. Bones line the walls, there are maggots crawling around the sticky walls and floors, and there is a huge door with a hive symbol embedded into it. It is pitch black apart from the faint glow of their flashlights. Eventually, Nebula finds a green crystal floating and slowly rotating. Another gust of wind is heard, and Jackal is the only one who understands.)

Nebula: "Hey, I found something."

(The rest of the crew follow her voice and see it.)

Brass: "How are we going to haul something like that back up?"

Drifter: "Use your ghost to transmat it."

Jackal: "Wait don't!"

(Brass points his flashlight above the crystal and sees a Hive wizard. He shouts in surprise as he fires his weapon at it, and misses. The wizard flies to a corner of the room laughing and spinning. Suddenly, it screeches a death song as thralls and acolytes start to rise from the mud and the walls.)

Drifter: "Watch out!"

(Drifter throws a nova bomb into a hoard of thralls, lighting the room a bright purple. Pulse ignites his hammer of sol and lights the room a bright orange. The entire room is now clearly lit. Nebula turns invisible and goes to the crystal. She pulls out her ghost to transmat the crystal. The wizard is still singing and the air around the room crackles and burns.)

Pulse: "Someone kill that damn wizard!"

(Sliver uses his arc staff and runs towards the wizard, cutting through enemies all the way. Sliver slashes through the wizard, silencing her screams. The air returns to normal, and the thralls are slowly killed by the team. The room is quiet for a moment, and then the eyes of the Hive symbol ignite a green flame. The door opens, and a massive Hive knight walks through, dragging a bone axe the size of a human. He lets out a defining roar before slamming the axe down trembling the ground beneath him, as more acolytes and thralls pour out of the doors. Lightning sparks from Jackal's hands.)

Jackal: "I'll buy you some time, get out of here!"

Drifter: "Meet us at the ship, you have 5 minutes or were taking off!"

Jackal: "Just go!"

(They run off as Jackal pours thunder from his hands into the crowd of thralls and acolytes, lighting the room a light blue. The perspective shifts to that of the crew, running through the twists and turns of the tunnels.)

Pulse: "You think he's okay?"

Drifter: "Just keep moving!"

(They make it up back to the surface and move a boulder to barricade the entrance.)

Sliver: "Are we going to wait or just leave him there to die?"

Drifter: "First things first, who has the crystal?"

(Nebula's ghost pops up and transmats the crystal onto the ground.)

Nebula: "Got it."

Drifter: "Good. Now," (Drifter takes his pistol by the barrel and bashes the crystal at the top a couple of times with its handle. The top of the crystal breaks off into shards and Drifter puts the shards into a leather bag.) "We take our share. Anyone else want any?"

(Pulse and Brass take some of the shards and attach them to their armor and Nebula takes one and keeps it in her utility belt. Sliver notices something on the wall near the door.)

Sliver: "Uh guys? I don't think we're alone."

(The others spot it immediately: the outline of a Hive ogre, burnt into the wall. A small pile of ashes lay below it. In the outline, there are three clear bullet holes, still burning a bright orange flame. Everyone draws their weapons and looks around suspiciously.)

Brass: "How did he find us so quickly?"

Pulse: "Do you see anything Nebula?"

Drifter: "Get this thing outta sight now we're leaving!"

(The boulder cracks. Everyone points their guns at it as it jolts and cracks. Eventually, it bursts into crumbs and out steps Jackal.)

Brass: "Oh thank god."

(A sniper rifle fires somewhere in the distance, Brass is shot in the head and dies immediately. The cocking of the weapon can be heard almost instantly, and Pulse jumps in front of Brass's ghost and pulls up a barrier.)

Pulse: "We've got company!"

(Another shot leaves Drifter dead, and soon after the click of the gun can be heard as if on cue. Before another shot is fired however, Nebula suppresses him by shooting her rifle in short controlled bursts. The masked man ducks for cover while Drifter and Brass are revived.)

Brass: "Where is he? Where's that mother fucker hiding!"

Nebula: "He's on the cliff side."

Drifter: "Move up and stay close. He'll pick us off one by one if he gets the chance."

(As they run up the small mountain, the camera switches perspective to the inside of a small wrecked ship, a shadow like figure hiding inside and waiting. Jackal steps on a smoke trap and it makes a small beep noise before engulfing the small area with a thick layer of smoke. Perspective switches to Pulse, trying to see through the fog and calling out for the rest of the team.)

Pulse: "Brass do you copy? Drifter? Anyone?"

(The sound of a revolver twirl is heard followed by 2 quick gun shots in rapid succession. More fire is heard, seemingly from different weapons as the shimmering light of Brass's ghost luminates the otherwise foggy area around him. Underneath his ghost lies Brass, wounded but still alive. Pulse turns toward the faint light for a moment and sees the masked man quickly shoot the ghost, sending a shockwave of light around the area and clearing the smoke. Once the smoke is clear, the camera pans in on the man's revolver, "The Last Word.".)

Pulse: "You bastard!"

(Pulse shoots his auto rifle at the man, but he dodges it, while shooting 3 more shots at Pulse and hitting him once in the leg. He reloads and aims his weapon at Drifter, but Jackal is able to land a shot at his shoulder, knocking him back. The others all point their guns at the man as soon as he goes down.)

Drifter: "That's quite enough from you! Stand down!"

(The man pauses for a moment before instantly turning a bright flaming orange. His revolver turns bright red with heat as he draws and shoots at Jackal, Drifter, and Pulse, killing them all and exposing their ghosts. Nebula turns purple with Void light and shoots a dark arrow at the man, tethering him in place. The ghosts all revive them as Nebula makes a run for the ship.)

Drifter: "Run! That tether won't last long!"

(They make a break for the ship and as the doors close, the man shoots three more flaming bullets at it, all missing. As the ship takes off, Brass is heard coughing in the distance. The man walks up to him, slowly reloading his revolver.)

Brass: "Well, if it isn't the man with the golden gun, Shin Malphur. I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you, but to be honest it's really not."

(The masked man pulls off a crystal from one of Brass's shoulder guards.)

Shin Malphur: "What are you doing with these?"

Brass: "Nothing special. Just a trophy I thought might look cool. Do you like it?"

(The man throws it into the dust and crushes it with his boot.)

Brass: (coughing) "Not a fan I see."

Shin Malphur: "You say it was a trophy. Sounds familiar to one unlucky hunter that I had a word with. Do you know his name?"

Brass: (chuckles) "Those stories about Dredgen Yor are quite fun to tell. But even I know they're bullshit."

Shin Malphur: "You'd be surprised."

Brass: "Oh really? I think you'd be surprised young man. I know who Dredgen Yor really was. He wasn't no crazy hunter and you know it."

(The man looks intently at Brass.)

Brass: "I ain't no saint I know. But at least I don't lie to myself and everyone around me about my past just to feel less regret!"

(The man removes his helmet. On his face, there is a large scar on his left eye.)

Shin Malphur: "A man is never truly dead, until he is forgotten. And people often remember terrible things over good. I lied about that man to protect his legacy. If you truly do know who the man was, then you would know that better than anyone."

Brass: (chuckles) "So what are you gonna say about me then, if you're so honorable?"

(The man puts on his helmet again and raises his revolver.)

Shin Malphur: "As far as the rest of this system is concerned, you're just another number."

(One last flaming shot kills Brass and the man pulls out a tracking device. On the device, it says that the ship has broken orbit and is heading to Titan, one of Saturn's moons. Scene transitions back to the ship. The crew argues over what to do next in the hull while Drifter pilots the ship. Pulse punches the wall, leaving a massive dent.)

Nebula: "That's gonna leave a mark."

Pulse: "It better. How the hell did he find us?"

Sliver: "The man's a legend for a reason. There aren't any trackers on the ship, we all inspected it together."

Nebula: "Sure maybe not back then, but we've all been running with Drifter for a couple of months now. He always gets our bounties alone and tells us afterwards. Maybe Shin was able to cough up enough cash for our heads and hid a tracker for him to shoot us up later like fish in a barrel."

(Jackal mumbles something under his breath, playing with his crystal from the bar.)

Pulse: "What?"

Jackal: (whispering) "Oh my god. It was them."

Sliver: "Are you okay their Jackal?"

(Jackal's eyes have a visible blackness growing in the whites of his eyes. He looks at Nebula and smiles lightly.)

Jackal: "I'm fine."

Pulse: "What's with your eyes?"

Jackal: "What? I don't know probably some dust or something. I uh, gotta go do something."

Nebula: "And what would that be?"

(Jackal leaves the hull and heads for the cargo bay but turns his head slightly back at Nebula.)

Jackal: "Someone's been ratting us out to Shin. And you all know what we do with rats."

(Jackal exits.)

Nebula: "What a dick."

Pulse: "I need a minute to clear my head. Anyone wanna come with me to the training room? I've been tinkering and I used the parts from some corsair's sidearm to really give this linear fusion rifle some firepower."

Sliver: "I would but I think I need a break from firefights and a whole lot of vodka after that."

Pulse: "Nebula?"

Nebula: "I'm trying to conserve ammo until our next pitstop."

Pulse: (laughs) "Awe come on. That is the most bullshit excuse I've ever heard. Are you scared?"

Nebula: "Not of you."

Pulse: "We'll be more prepared for him if we go- "

Nebula: "What like Brass?"

(silence)

Nebula: "Go. I'm not playing your dumb game."

(Pulse hesitates to say something but exits the room without a word instead. Sliver gets a bottle of vodka and begins to chug heavily when Nebula takes the bottle from him.)

Nebula: "Can you stop drinking yourself to death every time you get a bottle?"

Sliver: "What did you want some?"

Nebula: "I don't drink."

Sliver: "That's bullshit! I saw you drink after our first mission!"

Nebula: "I don't feel safe getting drunk here. It always seems like someone is gonna put a knife through my ghost. I guess back then I got caught up in the moment, not making that mistake again."

Sliver: (burps slightly) "Sucks to be you."

Nebula: "Well, I need to make a call. Have fun dying."

Sliver: "Wait Nebula."

Nebula: "Yeah?"

Sliver: "Do you ever think about legacy?"

Nebula: "Why?"

Sliver: "It freaks me out. I want to be remembered as a hero, not as some crook."

Nebula: "Then what in the name of god are you doing here? The Vanguard is more for people like that, not some crew of rogue guardians."

Sliver: "Ah, the Vanguard. That's what everyone always tells me. There was a time when I was a city guardian. But I eventually realized one thing."

Nebula: "And that would be?"

(Sliver takes another swig from his bottle and slams it onto the table.)

Sliver: "They're all a bunch of cowards. The city at this point is just one big sitting duck, and the Vanguard intend to keep it that way until we all face an extinction level invasion. By who? It doesn't matter. We've managed to piss off a lot of powerful enemies in this system: The Fallen, the Hive, the Cabal, the Vex. That's not even counting any separate human factions. All this and still they insist on building a bunch of walls, as if that will do anything. The only way we can win against any of these threats is if we attack first! But no one has had the balls to do any of that, so here I am. Fighting off enemies of humanity on their turf, even if it's also for a paycheck."

Nebula: "And what if you're wrong?"

(Sliver takes another swig and puts the bottle down again.)

Sliver: "About what?"

Nebula: "About the Vanguard's approach to war. There are people like Shin Malphur doing exactly what you claim you are doing. Not only him but Saint-14 and the Praxic Order as well."

Sliver: "Shin Malphur doesn't associate himself with the Vanguard anymore for the same reason as me and the Praxic Order is also an independent army, though they are allies with the Vanguard. As for Saint-14, he hasn't reported back to the Vanguard in years. I'm willing to bet that he's very dead. Even if he's alive, he's probably gone insane by now, and the Vanguard hasn't tried anything since."

Nebula: "You seem like a good kid."

Sliver: "I'm older than you Nebula."

Nebula: "I'll tell you what. If you want the legacy of a hero, you shouldn't be here. If you die running with bandits, people are going to forget all of the good you've done no matter what."

Sliver: "I guess." (He drinks again.) "So, what's your deal?"

Nebula: "About what?"

Sliver: "You're a hell of a shot with that sniper. Not only that, but you have this sense of confidence, like you belong on a battlefield. You don't panic or act on emotions, you just get the job done. With talent like that, you shouldn't need a sketchy crew to back you up. So why would you join the Drifter?"

Nebula: "I don't like to talk about it."

Sliver: "Did you know him before?"

Nebula: "No."

Sliver: "Are you banging?"

Nebula: "God no."

Sliver: "Did you used to?"

Nebula: "You're disgusting."

Sliver: "That's not an answer."

Nebula: "Would a knife to the throat be enough of an answer for you?"

Sliver: "Hey, I'm just trying to get to know my partners better." (takes another swig of vodka) "We've only known each other for a couple of months after all."

Nebula: "That's fine, but there are some things that I can't tell you."

Sliver: "Come on. I just told you everything about me. I probably won't even remember what you say."

Nebula: "Well, I- "

(Drifter enters)

Sliver: "Awe dammit, party's over now."

Drifter: "Where's everyone else?"

Nebula: "Pulse is in the training room."

Drifter: "And Jackal?"

Nebula: "I don't know. He went to the cargo bay just whispering to his crystal."

Sliver: (drunkenly laughs) "He was talking to a crystal!"

Drifter: "I heard what you were saying about me."

Nebula: "Oh did you?"

Drifter: "Yeah, and I get it. Trust is hard to come by nowadays, especially when there's a hunter with a flaming revolver and a list with our names on it. But I can't stand the Vanguard anymore than Sliver, even if it's for different reasons."

Nebula: "So, you don't think there's a spy?"

Drifter: "I never said that. All I'm saying is that I'm not a spy."

Nebula: "Right."

Drifter: "And if there is a spy, you might not wanna be throwing around accusations so quickly. They might see you as a threat, you feel?"

Nebula: "Yeah."

(Sliver is now passed out on the couch, bottle still in hand. Drifter grabs the bottle and sits in a sofa chair.)

Drifter: "Have a seat soldier."

Nebula: "I ain't no soldier Drifter."

Drifter: "Then what are you standing at attention for? Sit."

(Nebula pulls one of the chairs over to where she was standing. Drifter pulls the coffee table in between them. He pulls one of the empty shot glasses from off the table and begins to pour the drink.)

Drifter: "You want some?"

Nebula: "I don't drink in the workplace."

Drifter: "Wow, you're quite the professional."

Nebula: "I meant what I said when you hired me."

Drifter: "Yeah, you did. Except for one thing."

(Drifter drinks the shot)

Nebula: "And what would that be?"

(Drifter grabs Nebula's helmet from a bag he was holding. Nebula looks visibly worried.)

Nebula: "Put it down."

Drifter: "Just a minute there soldier."

(Drifter pulls a red light from the helmet. On it, are the words "Vanguard Property" in bold. Nebula quickly pulls a knife from her belt and holds it to Drifter's throat. Drifter doesn't flinch at all.)

Drifter: "Does this look familiar to you soldier?"

Nebula: "Call me soldier one more time mother fucker."

Drifter: "Or what? You'll kill me? Then what? The rest of the crew thinks I'm the spy. But if you kill me, they'll go straight to the person who made the accusation. Or, you could put that knife down and listen."

(Nebula slowly lowers her knife and sits back down.)

Nebula: "What do you want."

Drifter: "Who are you?"

Nebula: "An agent."

(Drifter pours another shot.)

Drifter: "And who do you work for?"

Nebula: "Isn't it obvious?"

(Drifter leans back in his chair.)

Drifter: "Why would the Vanguard be interested in me?"

Nebula: "Why should I tell you?"

(Drifter drinks the glass and puts it back down on the table. He points at Sliver.)

Drifter: "I've noticed you two have been having a great time together, despite you never mixing business with friendship."

Nebula: "You wouldn't."

Drifter: "Hey, if you got snitches in a crew, you gotta take care of them somehow."

Nebula: "He didn't do anything!"

Drifter: "He's a weak link. The kid's got heart, but that isn't exactly a good trait for us."

Nebula: "What do you want from me?"

Drifter: "I'll tell you what hot shot. You don't have to cut contact with your Vanguard buddies. All I ask of you is that whenever you contact them, or vise versa, you let me know. I'll listen in on the feed with you. Sliver lives, you keep your Vanguard happy, and this all stays our little secret. Deal?"

Nebula: "And the tracker?"

Drifter: "I'll be keeping this tracker to avoid suspicion; it might come in handy as a trap."

(Nebula looks at Sliver, still passed out on the couch. She then looks back at Drifter, flipping his green coin and grinning.)

Nebula: "Deal."

Drifter: "Great! We'll talk more during your next transmission. In the mean-time, make sure your friend here gets up when we land. ETA is 5 hours."

Nebula: "Where are we heading now?"

Drifter: "I was able to contact our buyer earlier. We're heading to an abandoned oil rig on Titan. Have you ever been to Titan?"

Nebula: "No. Isn't that one of Saturn's moons?"

Drifter: "Yep. Apparently there is an abundance of Hive there."

Nebula: "For fucks sake. What's your gripe with the Hive?"

Drifter: "Don't ask me. It's her that's arranging these deals."

Nebula: "I'm gonna get some rest."

Drifter: "Make sure you take your buddy back too."

Nebula: "He's a friend. Don't be that petty."

(Drifter tosses Nebula her helmet back and she catches it and puts it back on. Nebula tries to pick up Sliver and his ghost pops out again. Nebula is shocked and falls over.)

Sliver's Ghost: "Didn't mean to scare you. Want some help?"

Nebula: (laughs) "No, don't wake him up. I think I got it."

(Nebula gets back up and tries to pick him up again.)

Sliver's Ghost: "So, is it true?"

(Nebula picks him up.)

Nebula: "Is what true?"

Sliver's Ghost: "Don't play dumb with me Nebula. I heard what happened."

(Nebula carries Sliver to his room down the hall.)

Nebula: "I meant everything I said. You've got one hell of a Guardian. You should be proud."

Sliver's Ghost: "Shouldn't I be scared?"

Nebula: "Not of me. Listen."

(She lays him down on his bed and takes off her helmet again.)

Nebula: "If you tell him about any of that then he's a dead man walking. Drifter's smart. If you care about Sliver, convince him to leave this crew. I don't think he'll listen to me, but he has to listen to you."

Sliver's Ghost: "He's doing this for Sapphire. If he ran again, it would drive him crazy. He wants to be a martyr, like her."

Nebula: "If he wants to be a martyr, this is not the place to do it. He'll get looped in with these assholes in the history books if he keeps helping them!"

Sliver's Ghost: "I try to tell him that. But he always goes on about Sapphire whenever I bring it up."

(pause)

Nebula: "Does he ever talk about me?"

Sliver's Ghost: "He thinks you're the most sane out of this group."

Nebula: "Of course." (sigh)

Sliver's Ghost: "Oh I remember now! Sliver wanted to say something to you."

Nebula: "What?"

(Sliver's Ghost revives Sliver and then disappears. Nebula is shocked and slightly angry. She curses under her breath as Sliver wakes up and looks at her.)

Sliver: "Oh hey."

Nebula: "Hey. You drank yourself to death again. I decided I'd carry you back to your room."

Sliver: "Yeah. Sorry about that."

Nebula: "I talked to your Ghost."

(Sliver looks embarrassed.)

Sliver: "What did she say?"

Nebula: "It wasn't that long. I was just curious of what you think of me. She said you had something to say to me."

Sliver: "God dammit!"

Nebula: "What?"

Sliver: "She fucking ruined it didn't she? I tell her one thing about how I was going to ask you out and she goes and-"

(Nebula smiles and Sliver realizes what he said.)

Sliver: (sigh) "I'm an idiot. I'm so sorry. I just wanted it to work and not be weird like this."

Nebula: "I never said no."

Sliver: "Well no one wants to say no but everyone just goes quiet and-"

Nebula: "I would love to Sliver."

Sliver: "Really?"

Nebula: "When can you meet? Preferably a time after this mission."

Sliver: "How about 3 hours after, we can go to the Ishtar Sink on Venus. Its beautiful there."

Nebula: "Sounds like a plan. We land in 5 hours to meet our buyer, you should get some rest."

(Nebula starts to leave the room when Sliver gets up.)

Sliver: "Wait, Nebula!"

(Nebula turns around.)

Nebula: "Yeah?"

Sliver: "I uhh, my bed is a mess of dried whiskey right now. Could I uhh, maybe, sleep in your room?"

(Nebula smiles again)

Nebula: "Sure. I'll be in there in a bit."

(She closes the door to transition to a blackout. The black transitions to Jackal tinkering with his rifle by him pointing a light at the camera from the point of view of the rifle. He still has the darkness in his eyes. He takes out Drifter's leather bag of shards from the crystal and pours it on the table. Suddenly, out pops his Ghost.)

Jackal's Ghost: "Is that Drifter's bag?"

Jackal: "I'm just borrowing it."

Jackal's Ghost: "Oh no. No no no no no! This is too far Jackal!"

Jackal: "Don't go on babbling again."

Jackal's Ghost: "You and I both know what you're doing here. And it sure as hell proves my point!"

Jackal: "I'm just tinkering with it. What point does that prove?"

Jackal's Ghost: "Just tinkering? No. First you pick up that small little crystal from the EDZ saying 'Its just a memento,', then you start talking to it because you're curious! Then we go to the Hellmouth on the moon and you claim to hear more and more voices until you find that big ass crystal!"

Jackal: "Calm down okay?"

Jackal's Ghost: "Then you start talking to that damn 'memento' more than me and your eyes turn dark! And now this? You are clearly going down sorrow's road Jackal!"

Jackal: "You're over exaggerating. Knowledge is power in this war against the Light and the Dark. To defeat the darkness, you must first understand it."

Jackal's Ghost: "Don't give me that shit again! You're being corrupted and you know it! You've got to listen to me!"

(The breeze of wind blows by and whispers. Jackal attaches two of the crystals to his rifle. The crystals begin to glow a dark green. The rifle, once colored a bright orange and yellow mix, slowly begins to turn to shades of dark grey.)

Jackal's Ghost: "Is this really necessary to kill one spy? Tell Drifter. Tell anybody and we could throw her off the ship!"

Jackal: "Where's the fun in that?"

Jackal's Ghost: "Jackal please listen to me. There is more to life than just power. It's not too late. Throw that damn rifle off the ship before it speaks ever again!"

(Another gust of wind whispers. Jackal picks up the rifle.)

Jackal: "I personally love the new look."

Jackal's Ghost: "You are going insane!"

Jackal: "No, I think I'm just getting smarter. Isn't that odd? How when people don't understand something they call it insane?"

Jackal's Ghost: "You don't understand! That thing will only get you killed! By Shin, or by Drifter, or by Nebula!"

Jackal: "They aren't as powerful as this weapon. It can snuff out a Guardian for good, Ghost or no Ghost."

Jackal's Ghost: "I won't stand by and watch you be corrupted like this!"

Jackal: "Okay, works for me."

(Jackal quickly aims his weapon at his Ghost and fires. The Ghost dies, but there is no explosion of light. Just a faint cloud of dark green ash is all that comes out.)

Jackal: "Now, let's go take care of this 'rat problem'."

(Scene transition to the ship landing on an abandoned helipad. They are on a massive oil rig connecting to an even bigger dome. The dome has a two crashed Hive ships caving into it from the top, engulfed in a blazing fire. Seas of methane are all that can be seen for miles, and a thunderous storm pours rain and lightning onto the rig. Just up ahead, an open door can be seen with Hive spores. They all get out and take time to examine their surroundings, guns drawn.)

Pulse: "This place is huge!"

Drifter: "Our buyer said she'd be in the archeology up ahead."

Sliver: "In the dome? Why did we land so far away?"

Drifter: "It's the closest landing dock that hasn't been completely destroyed by the Hive or the ocean. She must be smart, the very few people who come here now usually turn back or die on their way there. It's a long walk, but it's the only way in. You know the drill, fingers on triggers and keep moving. Stay in formation, there's gonna be a lot of Hive. Follow my lead."

(They walk through the oil rig. The walls and floors are lined with maggots and hive spores. Jackal stays toward the back of the group, not saying a word. Nebula and Sliver are behind Drifter, then Pulse. After about 20 minutes of walking through the rig, Drifter walks through a door and spots something.)

Drifter: "Well I'll be damned."

Nebula: "What's wrong?"

Drifter: "He's here."

Pulse: "What?! That's impossible!"

(The rest of them walk through the door, and see an old docking bay, completely destroyed. Dead Hive and scraps of old shipping containers cover the floor. Most dead hive have bullet wounds, others have knives poking out of them. Some have their shadows burnt into the concrete with a simmering flame in the middle.)

Sliver: "Did he- did he just take out an entire Hive army by himself?"

Drifter: (pulls a knife out of a dead Hive Knight) "Looks like it."

Sliver: "Oh fuck that. We need to get out of here!"

Pulse: "Are you abandoning the mission?"

Sliver: "Don't give me that shit Pulse. As far as we know, this buyer of yours is dead. We won't be able to turn back once we're there, it's a death trap!"

Nebula: "Sliver's right. We should turn back. Even if she's dead, we could still sell this crystal to Spider or another Dredgen."

Pulse: "There's five of us! We can take him!"

Drifter: "She's not responding to my calls."

Pulse: "He doesn't know we're here, we could wait for him to come back out here and finish him for good!"

Sliver: "That's insane. We can't take that kind of risk right now, right Drifter?"

Drifter: "Well,"

Sliver: "You too? You can't be serious."

Drifter: "If we just run, he'll find us again and take us all down. As far as I know, he's got his hands full with the Dredgen in the archaeology. He's got to be low on ammo too, if he was able to take on this legion of Hive. So I say we take advantage of this upper hand and snuff out that kids light, once and for all."

Sliver: "We're really doing this?"

Drifter: "I suggest you prepare any traps. We have about six minutes max before he gets here."

(Everyone walks off to set up defense points and Sliver just stands there in confusion.)

Sliver: (sighs) "We're all gonna fucking die."

(Scene transitions to the Masked man walking through a doorway leading to the carnage on the deck. He carefully goes through the bodies of dead hive, picking up knives and samples for later use. He takes out something from his belt and examines it. It's a bloody transmitter, pried from the dead hands of the young Dredgen. He sees the location of its other broadcaster should be right in front of him. Sliver and Nebula whisper hidden behind a crate. Nebula is invisible, watching the masked man and Sliver is behind the crate holding a remote detonation device.)

Nebula: "Wait for it,"

(The masked man suddenly hears a faint beeping noise coming from a dead knight. He draws his revolver and walks slowly towards the noise. Once close enough, he sees that the knight has a transmitter in his hand, strapped to about five smoke bombs and C4.)

Nebula: "Now!"

(Sliver presses the detonator and the bombs erupt all at once. The man tries to dodge it but is blown back and engulfed in purple smoke. Drifter, Pulse, Jackal, and Sliver come out of their hiding spots and fire at the purple cloud. After three seconds of gunfire, the man turns a bright, burning orange and the smoke is blown away. He aims his revolver at Drifter but before he can shoot, Pulse tackles him to the ground with electricity sparking from his fists. Pulse, still on top of the masked man, tries to throw a punch and the man quickly dodges it and stabs Pulse's arm. He then kicks Pulse off him and gets up.)

Shin Malphur: "Get us out of here!"

Shin's Ghost: "I'm bringing the ship back down from orbit, keep them busy!"

(Sliver charges with his arc staff and swings. The man dodges the first swing and pulls a knife from his belt. He dodges the second swing and throws his knife right into Sliver's eye, killing him. Jackal and Drifter shoot at him, and he runs for cover. As he's running, Jackal manages to hit the man's hand. Behind cover, the man looks at his wound, still writhing in pain.)

Shin Malphur: "One of them has a weapon of sorrow."

Shin's Ghost: "I've got the sample. We can track it down if they break orbit."

Shin Malphur: "Can you heal it?"

Shin's Ghost: "No, this guy is good. It ripped straight through your light I can't repair it. Can you still aim?"

Shin Malphur: "Let's see."

(The masked man throws a flame grenade over his head and shoots it with his revolver, engulfing Drifter and Jackal in flames. A sniper rifle shot knocks the revolver right out of his hands. Three more shots sound off, one hitting him in the stomach as he runs for cover. He grunts while under cover and sees his revolver just a couple of feet away. As he reaches for it, Pulse steps on his arm and points his shotgun at him.)

Pulse: "Do you even remember him?!"

Shin Malphur: "The same thing I remember about all of you people."

Pulse: "And what would that be?!"

(The masked man quickly pulls the pin on one of the grenades on Pulse's utility belt)

Shin: "A number."

(The masked man pushes Pulse's shotgun out of the way as he fires. Then he kicks Pulse, grabs his revolver, and runs to the end of the dock while shooting at the others. A jumpship flies around the dock and stops near the edge, allowing the man to get inside and fly into the distance.)

Drifter: "Don't let him get away!"

Nebula: "Pulse! Did you bring that gun you were tinkering with?"

Pulse: "Yeah but I can't get a clear shot from this distance!"

Nebula: "Oh just give me the damn rifle."

(Nebula takes the gun from his hands and aims at the ship. She holds down the trigger as the weapon glows red and makes a low humming noise. Nebula lets go of the trigger and out shoots a bright red laser that hits one of the wings of the ship. It immediately lights up in flames and the ship spins out of control until it plunges into the deep ocean below with an explosion.)

Sliver: "Oh my god. We did it."

Drifter: "Well I'll be damned. The man with the golden gun is no more."

Pulse: "That's what you get when you try to fix everything. Should we tell people?"

Drifter: "Let's get back to the ship. This stays between us is that clear?"

Nebula: "Why would we do that?"

Drifter: "I'll explain later. Besides, we have bigger things to worry about than gossip. We need to figure out who's gonna buy that crystal. Come on."

(The camera sees Drifter's ship fly away from the rig and into the atmosphere from the point of view of an abandoned sea harbor. Suddenly, the man walks up slowly from behind the camera. His cloak is torn and burnt. He stops to look up at the sky and removes his helmet. It has a shattered visor and ash lining the back of it. He continues to stare at the sky for a moment before a Hive scream is heard in the distance. The man then puts back on the helmet and lights up a bright orange. The camera blacks out as the man turns around. The one eye that is visible through the visor is completely bright red.)

(Scene transition back to the ship. Sliver and Nebula are about to head out to Venus via an escape pod. Jackal, Drifter, and Pulse are talking over a meal and shots of liquor. Sliver walks by and checks his ammo.)

Pulse: "Hey Sliver, aren't you going on a date tonight?"

Sliver: "Why do you ask?"

Pulse: "Well, you're wearing the same clothes that you always wear."

Sliver: "There's a difference between armor and clothes asshole. Plus, we're going to the Ishtar sink, and the Vex there aren't exactly welcoming visitors."

Pulse: "I thought you were going to dinner."

Sliver: "Technically we are. I'm bringing some food and we're just gonna have a nice peaceful dinner and look out onto the green horizon."

Pulse: "In a warzone?"

Sliver: "We'll be fine. Hunters don't need a shit ton of armor to get by in a battle like you."

Pulse: "Whatever, your funeral."

(Nebula walks in the room wearing a new bright purple color on her armor.)

Sliver: "Wow. I love the new look."

Nebula: "Yeah, wish I could say the same about you."

Sliver: "I don't have any different armor!"

Nebula: "Me neither. I just painted it. My armor was turning green from all the Hive we've had to step over."

Sliver: "That's gross."

Pulse: "Yeah so are you. You really are perfect for each other."

Nebula: "We'll be back in a bit. Then we can discuss this whole crystal issue."

Drifter: "Send us your location when you're ready to come back. We'll be in orbit for a while; gotta lay low for a bit before we make our next move."

Pulse: "Try not to get shot while you're eating too. It ruins the food."

Sliver: (sarcastic) "Thanks. I'll try to keep that in mind."

Nebula: "See you guys in a bit."

(Sliver and Nebula climb into the escape pod and take off.)

Pulse: "So tell me again why we aren't going to tell anyone that Shin is dead?"

Drifter: "Well think of it this way."

(Drifter pulls out his green coin.)

Drifter: "You all have heard the legend of Dredgen Yor right?"

Jackal: "A once great guardian who turned to the dark to seek more power. Then he went mad and killed a bunch of people, including Shin Malphur's third father. As a result, Shin sought revenge against him and eventually ended the man."

Drifter: "After the man was killed, many other guardians wished to walk in his footsteps. The whispers that promised greater power were proven true by Dredgen Yor, inspiring a great many people to do the same. They even changed their names to Dredgen as a sign of respect."

(As Drifter says, "the man was killed", he drops the coin. Then as he goes on, he pulls more and more coins out of his hand, seemingly from nowhere. Once he stops talking, he drops all of the coins at once.)

Drifter: "Now, with that in mind, what do you think is going to happen if other Guardians hear the news of Shin's death?"

Pulse: "Yikes. That wouldn't be good for us."

Drifter: "No kidding. Hey, I want to let you guys in on a little secret."

(Pulse finishes his drink and puts it back on the table.)

Pulse: "Alright, shoot."

(Drifter pulls the Vanguard tracking device from his utility belt.)

Drifter: "I found out who's been snitching, and I was hoping you two would be okay with getting your hands dirty."

(Jackal smiles, stands up and preps his rifle.)

Pulse: "Really? Who is it?"

Jackal: "It's Nebula."

(Drifter looks surprised and turns his head towards Jackal. His eyes still have the blackness simmering around his pupils.)

Drifter: "Yeah, it's Nebula. How did- "

Jackal: "I'll take care of her. I've been waiting for a chance to test this rifle out."

(Pulse and Drifter see the crystals on his weapon and Drifter smiles.)

Drifter: "Alright then Jackal. I'll bring the ship down to Venus and take them out."

Pulse: "What about Sliver? He didn't do anything."

Drifter: "We'll find other partners. He's in too deep with her. If he lives, he'll probably kill us in our sleep."

Pulse: "Well shit. I kind of liked that kid."

Drifter: "It's settled then. Prep your gear, I'll bring the ship down in an hour."

(Scene transitions to Sliver and Nebula walking through the Venusian jungles. Ruins of buildings are swarming with plant life. There is the occasional Vex spire growing from the ground out of puddles of radiolaria. Everything is a mixture of red blossoms and green moss and leaves.)

Sliver: "It's so quiet."

Nebula: "There's not a lot of animal life here. This is where my ghost first found me."

Sliver: "Really? Out here? How did he not get lost?"

Nebula: "I think he was trying to. He's really emotional. It gets annoying sometimes."

Sliver: "I guess that balances out your lack of empathy."

Nebula: "Yeah. I never thought about it like that."

(Nebula spots a rusted knife in a tree. She runs up to it and Sliver follows closely behind. Sliver draws his rifle.)

Sliver: "What is it?"

Nebula: "It's a landmark. I left it here a while ago. Come on we're almost to the spot."

(Nebula runs up a small hill and through a pair of bushes.)

Sliver: "Wait what spot?"

(Sliver passes through the bushes and comes to a summit of a cliff. The view is a beautiful mix of red, green and blue. Rain drizzles down through the view and onto the forests and ruins below. It appears to be a Golden Age river colony, abandoned some time during the collapse. Off to the right in the distance, smoke rises from the bright blue Fallen tents. To the left, a great Vex spire is growing and emitting white reflections of light. Fallen Skiffs circle the spire and seem to get shot down by some unknown force. Other skiffs retreat back to the camp. Nebula is sitting on the edge of the cliff, admiring the view. Sliver slowly walks to her, also watching the scene.)

Sliver: "It's beautiful."

Nebula: "It used to be a lot calmer, but I guess this is fun too."

Sliver: "Are we far enough from the action? You know, to not get killed?"

Nebula: "Guess we'll see."

Sliver: "Fair enough."

(Sliver sits down on the cliff and pulls out the bottle of apple moonshine with two shot glasses.)

Nebula: "Did you even bring any food?"

Sliver: "Yeah, but I'm not hungry right now. Do you want any moonshine?"

Nebula: "I told you, I don't drink while working."

Sliver: "This isn't work."

Nebula: "We're in a warzone."

Sliver: "Whatever." (he pours the drink into the glass and drinks it.)

Nebula: "You asked me earlier about myself."

Sliver: "What? I did?"

Nebula: "Back on the ship. You asked me about myself and then I think you passed out."

Sliver: (looks embarrassed) "Oh yeah. That."

Nebula: "I think its time I tell you."

(Nebula pulls a chip from her helmet and gives it to Sliver. It flashes red and shows a message. "WARNING. YOU HAVE REMOVED YOUR SECONDARY BEACON FROM YOUR HELMET. IF YOU DO NOT PLACE THIS DEVICE BACK IN 30 SECONDS, THE VANGUARD WILL TAG YOU AS A ROGUE AGENT." It slowly ticks down to 25, 24, 23, etc.)

Sliver: "You're the rat?"

Nebula: "I was assigned to monitor Drifter's finds and report them back to the Vanguard. He's a brilliant man, but he can't be directly trusted. He's been making something, scheming for centuries. It's his big plan that he always talks about. The Vanguard wants to know what it is and decide if it can be useful or if it's too reckless. But I'm sick of it."

(Sliver looks back at the chip. It no longer displays any message, but the flashing red light has now turned solid red.)

Sliver: "But why? Why are you doing all of this?"

Nebula: "For you."

(Nebula grabs the chip and throws it off the ledge. She then sits back down and looks out to the view again.)

Nebula: "Drifter already found out I was the rat by pulling the primary chip from my helmet. Luckily, he didn't find my secondary, or I would have been dead. When the primary chip is pulled, the Vanguard assumes you've been compromised. But, if the secondary is pulled, they assume you're rogue and assign the nearest agent to the last known location of the chip. The crew's probably going to kill us any second now."

(She looks at him.)

Nebula: "I tried to get you to leave, but you wouldn't listen. So instead of that, I'm leaving. Fuck the crew, fuck the Vanguard, and fuck the mission. Please come with me. We could do so much good together."

Sliver: "I uh…"

Drifter: "Don't do it kid."

(They both draw their weapons and see Drifter, leaning against a tree and playing with a green coin.)

Sliver: "You're here early."

Drifter: (laughs) "Awe come on now. You know why I'm here."

Sliver: "What are you hiding? The truth."

Drifter: "You think I'm being shifty? She's a Vanguard spy brother! Who knows what other secrets she's keeping up her sleeve. She's playing you like a damn guitar!"

Nebula: "Sliver, I'm getting heat signatures in the trees, we need to go."

(Transition to the EDZ on earth, a hunter is getting back from a patrol when he sees a severely damaged ship blink out of lightspeed and come crashing down into the jungle. He runs to the crash site and finds the masked man, crawling out of the wreckage with still tattered clothing.)

Hunter: "Are you alright?"

Shin Malphur: "Do you have a ship?"

Hunter: "Yeah, do you need anything?"

Shin Malphur: "I'm gonna need that ship."

Hunter: "Excuse me?"

Shin Malphur: (sighs) "Please don't make me take it from you."

Hunter: "Listen, I don't know who you- "

(The masked man draws his revolver and fires two shots as quick as lightning right into the hunter's head. His ghost appears and sees the weapon he's holding.)

Hunter's Ghost: "Are- are you really him?"

(The masked man takes off his helmet and lies it next to the hunter.)

Shin Malphur: "If I give this to you two, will you promise not to revive him until I'm gone?"

Hunter's Ghost: "Of course. Take whatever you need."

(Shin walks towards the ship and flies it away. As he's flying, a message pops up with coordinates and a note that says, "ROUGUE VANGUARD AGENT, ALL CLOSEST GUARDIANS CONVERGE," Shin smiles, sets the coordinates into the GPS, and walks to the supply closet of the ship. He looks at a new polished armor set and sniper rife and the scene cuts back to Venus.)

Drifter: "What'll it be brother? Wanna ride that thin line of Light and Dark or do you wanna be a slave to the snitch."

(Sliver looks down at his rifle, then to Nebula, and then back to Drifter. He points his gun back at Drifter.)

Sliver: "I'm not a slave like I used to be. I'm not a monster, like you. I do what needs to be done, starting today."

Drifter: (winces) "I was really hoping you wouldn't say that."

(Drifter drops the coin and the sound of Jackal's gun booms through the forest. Nebula drops to the ground, blood leaking from her shoulder. A mix of dust and ash also mists up into the air. Another shot fires as Sliver dodges it and shoots a flurry of bullets into the trees, sending Jackal tumbling to the ground on a broken tree branch. Drifter tries to pull out his revolver and Sliver throws a swarm grenade at him, throwing him into the tree and snapping his spine. Sliver dashes over to Nebula while reloading.)

Sliver: "Nebula! Are you okay? Can you fight?"

Nebula: "My arm, I can't heal it. What the hell was in that bullet?"

Pulse: (cocks shotgun) "Forget me asshole?"

(Sliver kicks him away, but Pulse manages to shoot him in the foot. Sliver shoots at Pulse three times, and misses, as Pulse cocks his shotgun again. Right before he fires, Sliver throws a knife into the shotgun, causing it to explode as Pulse shoots. Sliver's foot glows as it heals, and he gets back up and pulls out his arc staff. Pulse throws a grenade at Sliver while trying to draw his machine gun. Sliver knocks the grenade off the cliff and quickly slashes Pulse. Jackal and Drifter get up and see eachother.)

Drifter: "Finish her off, I'll distract him."

(Jackal grabs his rifle and disappears into the bushes once more. Drifter walks over to Sliver still fighting Pulse.)

Drifter: "Hey hero! You're pretty good with that staff."

(Drifter throws down his gun and stretches his hands. A bright purple glow radiates from his eyes and fists.)

Drifter: "But back in the day, we had to prove we were more than just the weapons we weld. So, are you gonna be a coward with a blade or are you gonna be a Guardian?"

(Sliver lets his staff dicipate into the air and raises his fists.)

Sliver: "I don't need a weapon to kill you."

(Sliver and Drifter fist fight while Pulse slowly recovers and picks up his machine gun. Sliver throws a punch and Drifter catches it. As he holds Sliver's fist, his hand scorches a bright purple, burning Sliver. He pulls him closer.)

Drifter: "Your noble, but being a hero doesn't win a fight."

(Drifter turns Sliver around and Pulse is charging up his fusion rifle. As he's about to shoot, Nebula fires a tether at him, killing Pulse and locking Drifter in place. After a brief moment of silence, Jackal fires and hits Nebula in the head. She falls off the cliff and out of sight.)

Sliver: "Nebula!"

(Sliver turns bright blue with static and headbutts Drifter. He then runs over to the cliff and looks over the edge. Sliver gazes back at the forest. Drifter and Pulse aim their weapons at Sliver. Right beside him however, is the bottle of apple moonshine and Nebula's handcannon.)

Drifter: "Tough shit kid. It was nice knowing you, but you made the wrong choice."

Pulse: (lowers his gun and looks to the right) "Uhh boss?"

(Drifter and Pulse look over to Jackal. His gun glows a dark green and a gray cloud surrounds it. He is on his knees, twitching.)

Drifter: "Jackal! Get your shit together we need you!"

Pulse: "I'll take care of it."

(Pulse walks over to Jackal and lightly kicks him.)

Pulse: "You okay there partner?"

(Jackal stops twitching, but remains on his knees. A gust of wind passes by, and then another, and then another. The wind starts to sound like a whisper. Eventually the whisper becomes clear. _USE ME. USE MY POWER. EXTINGUISH THEIR LIGHT._ Jackal looks up, with blacked out eyes.)

Pulse: "Comme on, get up."

(Pulse extends his hand to Jackal. After a brief pause, Jackal grabs him and throws him to the ground. Then, he shoots Pulse 6 times in the chest, and shoots his ghost. The gun lights up again, and he looks at Drifter. Drifter runs for cover, bullets whizzing past him. Sliver barrel rolls to Nebula's handcannon and fires it at Jackal, just missing him. Jackal fires back and hits Sliver in the gut. He drops to the ground, and Jackal walks up to him, reloading. Sliver raises his gun but Jackal steps on his arm and puts the barrel to his head. A revolver's twirl is heard, followed by three shots. Jackal's gun drops as his ashes blow into the wind. Sliver looks up and sees the Masked man looking at him through a new set of armor, but spray painted to look like his old. He is radiating a bright orange flame as he twirls his pistol.)

Shin Malphur: "You Dredgens are all the same. Any last words?"

Sliver: "I'm not done yet. I've got a promise to keep."

Shin Malphur: (chuckles) "So do I."

(Sliver shoots one of Nebula's smoke grenades behind the man, engulfing the both of them in smoke. Switch to Drifter's point of view, talking to his ghost behind a fallen tree.)

Drifter's Ghost: "How the hell did he survive? We blew up his fucking ship!"

Drifter: "Shut up and stay low. I can't have you getting sloppy now."

Drifter's Ghost: "What are you doing?"

(Drifter loads his handcannon.)

Drifter: "We need to get to the ship. Get ready to run."

(Drifter runs into the forest and the cloud of smoke clears, revealing the masked man. He is coughing, and on his knee. He reaches down to his bloody leg and pulls out the now shattered bottle of apple moonshine. The man looks around as his Ghost appears. She starts to heal his wound.)

Shin Malphur: "Bring the ship down, now!"

Shin's Ghost: "You missed one in the trees."

Shin Malphur: "I was going to deal with him later."

Shin's Ghost: "Ship will be here in 30 seconds."

(They see Drifter's ship take off into the horizon.)

Shin Malphur: "Tell me you got a lock on it before it left."

(Switch perspective to Drifter piloting the ship. He is trying to navigate through the dogfight of Fallen Skiffs and the Vex tower. The ship shakes and a warning in Russian is displayed through a monitor.)

Drifter: "Can't we jump to orbit?"

Drifter's Ghost: "Something is jamming our slip space engine. I can't work it, but if we can get far enough from that Vex tower, it might be able to work."

Drifter: "How long will it take?"

Drifter's Ghost: "At this speed, about 5 minutes."

(The click of a cocked handcannon sounds.)

Drifter: "Hey hero, I think its time we rethink our relationship."

Sliver: "Not this time Drifter."

Drifter: "You do realize that if you kill me now, you kill us both."

Sliver: "If it means another scum like you is in the dirt, then I don't care."

Drifter: "Are you sure? I'm certain we could arrange some sort of deal in like 5 minutes."

Sliver: "You heard me. Now land this ship in a clearing or I'll paint your windshield red."

(The ship shakes again, and another warning shows up on the monitor.)

Drifter's Ghost: "Drifter, you got a fighter on your tail."

Drifter: "What the hell are you doing get down!"

(Sliver takes aim at the Ghost, but Drifter violently turns the ship sending him flying back into the hull.)

Drifter: "Who's following us?"

Drifter's Ghost: "The ship's callsign is, 'Hotshot'."

Drifter: "God fucking damnit." (leans back and yells towards the hull.) "Hey hero! You mind doing me a favor?"

Sliver: "I'm done following orders you cheat."

Drifter: "Shin is on our tail. Now I know you're real upset about me trying to kill you and all, and you want your revenge. But, if you don't help me out here, we're both going to die, and you'll lose your one chance at revenge. So, for the love of god, come up here and lets get the hell out of here!"

(Sliver lays on the floor for a moment deciding what he should do. He curses, and makes his way to the cockpit. Sliver sits down at the co pilot controls.)

Drifter: "Thank god you've still got some sense in you."

Sliver: "Actually, I just got it."

(Sliver shoots Drifter in the head and pushes his body to the side to take the controls. Drifter's ghost tries to revive him, but Sliver plunges the ship into a nosedive forcing it to the back. Sliver closes his eyes as the ship crashes. Cut to black, as the camera rises slowly above the crashed ship. The masked man is searching through the wreckage with his revolver drawn. He comes across Drifter's body, with a dead Ghost shell just feet away from him. The man continues to search. Eventually, he finds Sliver, in his tattered armor walking away from the carnage with Nebula's handcannon. He collapses, sits against a tree, and breaths heavily. The man walks up to him and aims his gun.)

Shin Malphur: "No tricks this time."

(Sliver doesn't move. The man notices something clenched in his fist. He walks over and opens his fist, to find a dog tag. It is covered in ash and unreadable. Sliver tries to speak, but it comes out as harsh whispers.)

Sliver: "Please don't take that. She's all I have left."

Shin Malphur: "What is this?"

(Sliver doesn't speak, he's too focused on breathing. Shin wipes off the ash, and it says, "Sapphire-4, 3rd line titan for the colonization of Luna,". The man looks back at Sliver.)

Sliver: "She's all I have left."

Shin Malphur: "Was she a friend?"

Sliver: "More than a friend."

(The man thinks for a moment and puts the tag back in Sliver's hand.)

Shin Malphur: "Where's your Ghost?"

Sliver: "I don't know. I lost her in the crash."

Shin Malphur: "Why were you with a crew of Dredgens?"

(A tear sheds down Sliver's cheek.)

Sliver: "I wanted to make things right."

(The man pauses again and pulls a beacon from his belt. He places the beacon next to Sliver and presses a button.)

Shin Malphur: "Stay here. A search and rescue team will be here shortly."

(The man walks back to his ship and flies off. Just moments after the ship takes off, a crew of Fallen vandals search the wreckage. The shot cuts out with a Vandal noticing Sliver and letting out a battle cry. Switch perspective to a Ghost watching the scene from a far, waiting. As the vandals, drag Sliver's body away from the crash, the Ghost quickly returns to the wreckage. It scans Drifter's body and revives him.)

Drifter's Ghost: "Get up."

Drifter: "What happened?"

Drifter's Ghost: "He shot you and brought the ship down. We need to move, this place is crawling with enemies."

Drifter: "What about Shin?"

Drifter's Ghost: "I took care of him, moved Sliver's ghost parts to make it look like me."

Drifter: "Well that's one less thing to worry about."

Drifter's Ghost: "Not even a thank you?"

Drifter: "I'll thank you when we get off this shithole of a planet. Now, let's go find a new ship."


End file.
